What kind of nonsense is that? That’s your heart, and my heart is mine!

Here, your heart doesn’t matter.

What? Excuse me? No!

Edan completely ignored me as I let out an awkward, hollow laugh.

“I’d like to go with you, but I’m busy for a while. If I’m going to avoid a marriage someone hates, there’s a lot to do. Don’t feel upset—see you at dinner.”

“I’m not upset at all. Do I look like a child to you?”

Edan must do Edan’s duties, just as I must do mine.

I’m not foolish enough to feel hurt over this or beg him to come along.

When I waved my hand, telling him not to worry, Edan gripped the carriage doorframe, leaned his upper body inward, and said,

“And, Latie.”

“Yes?”

“No tempting others outside.”

I widened my eyes and retorted,

“When did I ever tempt anyone?”

“You stared holes into my face just now.”

That counts as tempting? I was just looking!

As I blinked in disbelief, Edan lightly pressed his lips against mine.

“Be pretty, but reasonably so.”

Edan let out a soft chuckle and turned away immediately.

“Let’s depart.”

Edan issued the order in a low voice and strode toward the castle with long strides. He vanished swiftly from sight, and Ruben, having gathered the knights escorting the carriage, boarded with Maxim.

“Huh? Lady Latieana, why do you look like that? Is your fever still not gone? Your face seems a bit flushed.”

I patted my bright red cheeks with both hands and shook my head.

“It’s nothing. Just hot.”

“What? In this weather? It’s chilly! Ah—did His Grace say something to you just now?”

“It’s nothing, Maxim.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing. Should I give you medicine?”

Stop it! I can’t possibly say my face turned red because I enjoyed the kiss too much!

Clueless Maxim kept rolling his innocent eyes, pestering me, until Ruben, unable to bear it any longer, lightly kicked his shoe.

“Your Holiness.”

“Yes?”

“You’re remarkably clueless.”

Maxim froze on the spot.

He’d clearly been shocked before when Edan had said something similar.

The carriage, carrying Maxim with his forehead pressed to the window, rolled out toward the portal beyond the ducal castle.

“We’ll arrive quickly once we cross the bridge. Even if the knights wait outside, I’ll accompany you inside to guard you.”

“Thank you, Sir Ruben.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But to have so many knights—it’s impressive. I won’t be going deep inside anyway. I hope I’m not wasting manpower.”

Though not an ability-user, Ruben is an extraordinary swordsman. He fights monsters alongside Edan as his right hand, despite having only a normal human body. Honestly, given his elite skill, one knight—Ruben alone—would be more than enough to guard me.

“The knights of the North are far more numerous than you imagine, Lady Latieana. Losing this many won’t even be noticeable. And this is also a kind of psychological battle.”

Psychological battle?

“Until now, overlapping circumstances made it difficult to protect you this thoroughly, but the situation has changed.”

I focused intently on Ruben’s words.

“His Grace didn’t kill the witch and kept her alive not because it was difficult to deal with her. He kept her around because if the witch disappeared, the Imperial Court and the Temple would obviously demand you be handed over. He was using her—for now. Had the witch not escalated her attempts to harm you, he likely would have exploited her usefulness as long as possible.

Separately, when Lord Hillstain and Duke Dante touched you, His Grace was furious—but those incidents still fell within matters he could personally resolve.”

Indeed. Had my identity as the Grand Saintess been revealed earlier, this moment would have arrived much sooner.

Unlike Saintess candidates, the Grand Saintess would be forcibly exploited by the Imperial Court and Temple under oppression.

Just as I wished to hide my power and stay concealed, perhaps Edan felt similarly.

“Now that things have reached this point, there’s no longer any need for that. It’s better to publicly demonstrate that His Grace is decisively protecting you.”

Right on cue, the carriage halted upon exiting the portal. Ruben, having confirmed the Temple building beyond the window, opened the carriage door and stepped out first.

“From now on, it also means anyone who dares to lay hands on Lady Latieana will be killed personally by His Grace.”

A chilling glint swirled within Ruben’s eyes as he spoke.

The atmosphere hadn’t been this sharp while we were moving inside the carriage, but the moment he stepped onto the ground, his gaze transformed completely into that of a knight.

The entrance of the pure white Temple building.

The weather was exceptionally clear, and the white structure, bathed fully in pouring sunlight, dazzled painfully.

“Welcome!”

The grand doors of the Temple swung open, and the Grand Priest, along with others, greeted me.

As I entered the courtyard, the Grand Priest stepped forward and bowed his head to me.

“Welcome, Grand Saintess.”

I openly scowled as I stared at him.

They’re calling me Grand Saintess before even properly verifying my power? Unbelievable.

As I coldly stared down at him without replying, the Grand Priest slowly lifted his head and smiled gently.

“Have you recovered? You look well.”

Wow. He’s as despicable as Ivy, truly.

He pretends to have forgotten entirely about the daily letters of pressure and thinly veiled threats he sent to the Ducal Castle, and now feigns concern?

No conscience at all.

“Grand Priest.”

“Yes?”

“Did you get a hole in your heart?”

“…What?”

I briskly swept past the Grand Priest.

I didn’t need directions—the destination was obvious.

The rows of priests standing in precise formation all faced one specific place.

It was the largest building, with an entrance centered in its wall. The Northern knights waited at the Temple entrance, and I walked without pause toward the central building, Ruben following me. Though it looked distant at first glance, crossing the courtyard felt oddly brief.

I took a silent, deep breath and stepped inside the building.

Alright. I can do this. If I don’t come to the Temple, the Imperial Court will direct all their arrows at Edan.

I managed to silence Hillstain and Dante somehow, but Killian already knows.

And Killian will absolutely not comply with my requests like the other two.

He’ll likely use me as an excuse to torment Edan even more.

I must stand firm. I cannot become a burden to Edan. I cannot let harm come to him.

“This way.”

The building, entirely white—from walls to corridors—became increasingly extravagant as we ventured deeper.

Gilded borders caught my eye, and upon reaching the deepest, most immense chamber, the interior was entirely covered in gold.

Externally, the building appeared about three stories tall, but towering at its center was a tall, oval glass dome.

We had arrived precisely at the heart of that dome.

I tilted my head completely back and stared blankly upward at the impossibly high ceiling. The vast space, easily five stories tall, was entirely constructed of glass.

The glass didn’t let sunlight pass through perfectly—it shimmered and sparkled like crystal.

At the center of this space stood a circular fountain, resembling a well, from which a slender jet of water rose.

“This is where potions are made.”

“Here?”

The Grand Priest, who had hurriedly followed me, pointed to the fountain’s center and added,

“When Grand Saintesses channel their power here, the water’s color changes. Though it appears empty, an invisible magical barrier normally prevents anyone except the Grand Saintess from stepping onto the fountain itself. We only approach to draw water when preparing potions.”

I nodded. For now, the holy water looked like ordinary water.

But once I channeled power, its color would change.

“Lady Latieana. Please place your hand here.”

The Grand Priest, apparently in a great hurry, immediately thrust toward me the artifact used to measure healing power—likely anxious I might flee or change my mind.

“Alright.”

Without hesitation, I reached toward the artifact.

The bright pink light measuring my power’s magnitude filled the entire space and stretched beyond the corridor we’d walked through. My healing radiance shone dazzlingly, bright enough to reach and surpass the ceiling.

I wasn’t particularly surprised—I’d already tested my power using Maxim’s artifact in the mage’s secret chamber. As the light faded after I withdrew my hand, I calmly scanned my surroundings. The Grand Priest and others were all visibly shocked and astonished.

“My—my goodness!”

Even in less-than-perfect condition, the brilliance of my power clearly astonished them.

After that, everything proceeded smoothly.

All other priests bowed deeply before me, and the Grand Priest discarded every lingering doubt and suspicion.

“I’ve never seen power of this magnitude! We must inform the Imperial Court immediately!”

What?

Thud. I grabbed the Grand Priest’s shoulder as he turned to leave.

“Grand Priest. Let’s talk.”

Once everyone else had withdrawn, I remained in the chamber with Ruben and the Grand Priest.

The Grand Priest thumped his chest and raised his voice at me.

“I simply cannot understand! What on earth is the problem!”

“The problem is you intend to report me to the Imperial Court.”

“Report?… But of course this must be reported!”

His face flushed red and purple, but whether he felt frustrated or not was none of my concern.

The Grand Priest twitched his white eyebrows and corn-silk beard, looking aggrieved.

“You’re not trying to rush me onto the Grand Saintess throne just to cover up the Temple being deceived by the witch, are you?”

“…!”

I’d struck the bullseye.

“Of course, the Imperial Court was deceived too, but fundamentally, responsibility for the Grand Saintess lies with the Temple. Right now, since the incident occurred recently, you can still silence it—but if the Grand Saintess seat remains vacant too long, word will inevitably leak, and once the nobles hear rumors, you’ll be in trouble.”

I blinked slowly and gazed at the fountain.

“Then you won’t be able to sell those expensive, ineffective pills anymore. Correct?”

After all, claiming those pills are infused with the Grand Saintess’s healing power is absurd if no Grand Saintess exists.

The Grand Priest, who profited greatly thanks to Ivy, must have received praise for discovering a Grand Saintess of immense power, along with other benefits—but those pills were surely a major revenue stream.

Judging even from rough information, the Grand Priest was clearly in a very awkward position.

Watching droplets fall from the fountain, I calmly waited for his reply.

How would he react? Persuasion? Plea? Or threat?